


Out of the Blue

by legendofthesevenstars



Category: Tenkuu no Escaflowne | The Vision of Escaflowne
Genre: F/F, Love Triangles, Pre-Movie, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:46:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27660878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/legendofthesevenstars/pseuds/legendofthesevenstars
Summary: Hitomi nearly breaks the track captain's record. It isn't close enough for her.
Relationships: Kanzaki Hitomi/Uchida Yukari
Kudos: 5





	Out of the Blue

Hitomi ran one hundred meters in twelve and a half seconds. It wasn’t fast enough to break Nakamura Keiko’s record.

Lowering the stopwatch, Yukari walked up to Hitomi, announcing her result. Hitomi’s shoulders slumped.

“Twelve and a half is still amazing, Hitomi,” Yukari insisted. “There are a lot of girls who couldn’t break thirteen, or fourteen.”

Hitomi bent down slightly, still breathing heavily. It was a bright and humid day. Even in her spring uniform, Yukari was sweating, and Hitomi, in her shorts and T-shirt, was drenched.

“Could you please hand me my water?” Hitomi said.

Yukari knelt to pick up the water bottle at her feet, handing it to her.

“Thank you.” Unscrewing the cap, Hitomi leaned her head back and drank, sweat rolling down her forehead and neck. She wiped it away with the back of her hand. Her white shirt was soaked through with sweat.

“You should probably sit down for a moment,” Yukari said. “I’m afraid you’ll get dizzy.”

Hitomi lowered herself to the track, sitting on its edge. Yukari sat down beside her, listening to her breathing even out. Out of the corner of her eye, Yukari watched her rearrange her damp, windblown bangs.

“It’s not that I actually need to break Nakamura-senpai’s record,” Hitomi said. She was pushing back the cuticles of her left hand with her thumb. “It’s more that if I don’t have something to strive for, then I feel like running doesn’t have a point.”

“I always thought you enjoyed it,” Yukari said. She remembered a childhood spent running through city streets and neighborhood backyards. On a visit to a shrine, they’d raced each other to the top. Hitomi had always taken pride in her legs being able to carry her anywhere. So joining the track club had seemed like a natural decision. Yukari came to practices to do her homework and watch until she could walk home with Hitomi. And she came to all the events.

Hitomi had been content placing in the middle of the relays for months. Then she’d started breaking records. And since April of this year, she had been trying to break Nakamura Keiko’s record of twelve seconds, and today’s result was the closest she’d gotten. But she wasn’t celebrating her victory.

“That’s what I thought, but lately…”

“And you’re not really the competitive type.” She turned to look at Hitomi. “You used to be satisfied being second best.”

Hitomi lifted her water bottle again and drank.

“But now, even a half a second isn’t close enough.”

Hitomi set the bottle at her feet. “It isn’t really about the numbers.”

“Then what is it about?”

She lowered her head. “Nakamura-senpai hates me.”

Yukari drew her knees toward her chest, cocking her head to the side. “Why?” This was the first she’d heard anything about it. All the practicing Hitomi did made it seem like she and Nakamura were just in friendly competition. It was just a game. Just something for fun. Until now, when even the smallest numbers made Hitomi bow her head in disappointment.

“I don’t know. It’s… it’s like she just can’t stand having me around.”

“But you didn’t do anything to her.” Not that Hitomi would ever be capable of being cruel. She and Yukari had argued many times, usually over things that didn’t matter, but it would always be resolved.

“It’s not that I did anything. It’s more like she sees me as a threat.”

“Because you might run faster than her someday?”

Hitomi sighed through her nose. She turned to face Yukari. Her green eyes gleamed in the early afternoon sun, and Yukari’s breath hitched.

“I said,” she frowned, and Yukari’s heart plunged into her stomach, “I don’t _know_. And I don’t think there’s a reason.”

“But there has to be a reason!” Yukari shook her head. “Why would anyone hate you out of the blue?”

How could anyone hate Hitomi? She was shy, and prone to letting people walk all over her. Hitomi was the kind of person who just blended in with the crowd. Just an average girl, with no special charm. But Yukari thought her lack of charm was _precisely_ her charm. She was so perfectly plain. Was she the only one who thought so?

Hitomi’s expression fell, back to the same melancholic frown she always put on these days. “That I _can_ think of reasons for.”

Yukari opened her mouth to gasp, but nothing came out. Then, furrowing her brow, she grasped Hitomi’s sleeve with one hand, yanking it. “What is she _saying_ to you, Hitomi?” When Hitomi remained silent and only shut her eyes, she continued, “Tell me! Why did you keep this from me until now? I thought I was your best friend!”

“She said I was a stupid girl,” Hitomi said.

Silence. Cicadas crooned. Hitomi smelled of sweat and her flowery, airy perfume, and Yukari was close enough that she could hear her breathing gently out her nose.

“That’s it?”

“And that I don’t deserve my place on the team. So if Nakamura-senpai doesn’t want me there…” She opened her eyes, tears beading in their corners. “Then I don’t belong with the rest of them.”

_Why are you letting her make decisions for you?_ Yukari didn’t ask. Hitomi would let people walk all over her and tell her what to do if it meant that people wouldn’t hate her. It was true. She’d always wanted to be liked. She’d always wanted to blend in.

But to Yukari, she had never blended in. She always looked for her. For her cropped brown hair, her cheery smile, and her toned legs.

To Nakamura, Hitomi didn’t blend in either. But Hitomi wanted to be noticed by _her_. She didn’t realize Yukari was looking for her.

“Say whatever you want.” Hitomi sounded less confident and more resigned. “I’ve made my decision. Saturday will be my last run, and then I’m quitting.”

Yukari let go of Hitomi’s shoulder. The cicadas continued to sing, the sun beating down on the two of them. Hitomi leaned back on the grass with a sigh, folding her arms behind her head, and Yukari didn’t join her. They sat in silence, and in the end, she had nothing to say.


End file.
